1.3.4.0 Always crashes at approx. 10.3secs recording

[Haymo]

I've been using 1.2.6 and would like to use 1.3.4.0, but it's impossible for me to record anything.
At 10 + approx 0.3 seconds of recording, it crashes.
with the message:
"Unhandled exception
Audacity ... ... has encountered a problem and needs to close ...
Error signature audacity.exe AppVer 1.3.4.0 ModName Audacity.exe
ModVer 1.3.4.0 Offset 000b196f "

Ver 1.2.6 functions completely normally.
A project saved in 1.2.6, I can edit in 1.3.4.0

Operating System: Win XP SP2 Home, w. all applicable updates.
Pentium 4 3.06GHz, w. 2 processors, 1.86GB RAM
Acrobat 8.1.2
MS Office Professional 2003 w. updates
VERY MANY other applications on this PC.
ADSL via external router.

If the above info is sufficient, please give me an indication where to look for the problem.
Otherwise, please indicate which additional info you require.

Thank You.
Haymo.

[steve]

1)
"at approx 10.3secs" - this sounds quite precise. Is it always between 10.2 seconds and 10.4 seconds, every time that you record?

2)
Do you have the "VST enabler" installed? If so, try uninstalling it and see if the problem still exists.

[jan.kolar]

... would like to use 1.3.4.

(Current beta version is 1.3.5. and can be downloaded from http://audacityteam.org/)
(Though, you might have special reason to use 1.3.4.)

Ver 1.2.6 functions completely normally.
A project saved in 1.2.6, I can edit in 1.3.4.0

Yes. But you can not edit it in 1.2.6 again afterwards.

[Haymo]

1)
"at approx 10.3secs" - this sounds quite precise. Is it always between 10.2 seconds and 10.4 seconds, every time that you record?

2)
Do you have the "VST enabler" installed? If so, try uninstalling it and see if the problem still exists.

ANSWER TO 1): The error ALWAYS occurs at the same position, whether recording silence, or other input.
Scaling on screen, 10 to 11 secs = 27mm
(By my best estimate) starting at 10.0 secs, in L Channel ONLY, first of White "Ghost" vertical bars
2nd ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 1.8mm
3rd ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 3 mm
4th ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 5.5mm
5th ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 6.8mm
Red line at 10.0 secs + 8.3mm

When recording silence:
After the crash, Max dB is shown at -10 (although during 0 - 10 secs, it never showed that high)

Could this be related to the Windows Media recorder?

ANSWER to 2): Previously I downloaded MANY plug-ins, both NONE are installed at present
- in any case I cannot find any refference to "VST" in the present installation.

PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE TO ATTEND TO OTHER URGENT BUSINESS, and wiil NOT be able to reply for some days to come.

[steve]

"Ghosts"? This is the first mention of spooks
I seem to vaguely remember seeing a mention of something similar ages ago - I'll have a look and see if I can find it. Perhaps one of the other regular forum people may remember something about this.

PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE TO ATTEND TO OTHER URGENT BUSINESS, and wiil NOT be able to reply for some days to come.

OK, no problem. When you have time, could you post a screen shot of these "Ghosts", it may cast some light on what is going wrong. In the mean time, I'll look for my Bible bell and candle.

[jan.kolar]

[[[1. Trying to improve stability ]]]

I would try change the latency setting (default 100, change to 1000 (or 2000) ms).
If this helps, I would put it back and ask Steve what to do next, since I would doubt its stability a bit.

You can also try to minimize audacity after starting the record.


I hope you have some modest Microsoft screensaver and it is switched off.
Check that you do not use Disk Compressing (Doublespace or whatever)
and your disk is not protected by any kind of coding.


(
[[[2. who is drawing in my window ?]]]
Could you look: Do you have any windows under the windows of Audacity? Including fancy 3rd party fancy desktops.

Do you know about any real time application (I mean reather real time consuming) on your computer?
In particular fancy audio programs or drivers, and animated advertisements in InternetExplorer.

)


[[[3. The timing.]]]

starting at 10.0 secs
2nd ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 1.8mm
3rd ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 3 mm
4th ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 5.5mm
5th ghost bar at 10.0 secs + 6.8mm
Red line at 10.0 secs + 8.3mm
differences are 1.8 1.2 2.5 1.3 2.5 mm
100ms = 2.7 mm or perhaps even 2.5mm if your screen is a CRT monitor (not really flat)
Could that be ? , 50 ms, 100ms, 50ms, 100ms ?


[[[ 4. Is the disk spinning? ]]]

Save your (empty) project before recording. (Ctrl+B, Ctrl+S)


We make sure your disk is spining before you start recording.
Do the 5 seconds recording, 5 seconds rest, three times,
and then record one minute. Did we pass the critical point?

[steve]

I presume you mean the "audio buffer" setting (not latency correction) jan. Either way, 2000 is way higher than should be needed. If the audio buffers need pushing that high it would indicate a fairly major problem somewhere else.
Let's wait and see what the problem looks like before we jump in too far with "solutions".

[jan.kolar]

Indeed I meant "Audio Buffer" in "Lattency" box of Edit>Preferences, Audio I/O panel.

<<Let's wait and see what the problem looks like before we jump in too far with "solutions". >>
OK !

[Haymo]

Thank you for all your responses -
The whole matter has become rather academic for me, since I completely uninstalled 1.3.4, then downloaded and installed 1.3.5
1.3.5 is running beautifully.

I have not been able to find the reason why 1.3.4 kept on crashing at 10+ secs (not always at the EXACT same spot, but close enough that I knew it would never reach 10.5 secs.

Answers to some of your questions:
NO other heavy processing going on when I use Audacity.
NO screen savers at all.
61 icons (short cuts) on the desktop.
Exiting all the programs which normally are on the taskbar, did not help.
Only 22MB of graphics memory.
I did not try to change any latency.
Removing, in Control Panel, what I could find about "VST", also completely removed 1.2.6 from my PC, but did not help solve the problem in 1.3.4

I could not take a normal screen shot, but am attaching a fraction of a digital photo to prove that the "ghosts" did exist in 1.3.4

4 faint "ghost" bars in Left Channel

DSC03524-a.jpg (17.19 KiB) Viewed 1919 times

.

[steve]

Thank you for posting the picture - very strange indeed. I've not come across this problem before and have no idea what the cause is, but I'm pleased that 1.3.5 works for you.

Were you using a USB audio device by any chance? If so, are you still using it with Audacity 1.3.5?